The latest MagSafe accessories for the new iPhone 12 line-up include magnetically attached wireless chargers, cases, and wallets. Recent charging tests by tech reviewer of The Wall Street Journal revealed that the MagSafe charger is two times slower than the USB-C charger in powering the iPhone 12 and takes even longer to charge older smartphone models like iPhone 11 and earlier.
Retailing for $39, the MagSafe charger magnetically snaps on the back of a compatible iPhone and smartphone case and provides up to 15W charging. Since Apple is not shipping the new iPhone 12 with power adaptors, users will have to purchase a $19 USB-C power brick if they do not have one.
The MagSafe Charger maintains compatibility with Qi charging, so it can be used to wirelessly charge your iPhone 8 or later, as well as AirPods models with a wireless charging case, as you would with any Qi-certified charger.
MagSafe Charger is 2x Slower than USB-C Charger
In a review video on The Wall Street Journal’s YouTube channel, Joanna Stern tested the design, 5G support, cameras, and other features of the launched 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models. She discovered that the new MagSafe wireless charger takes two times longer to charge the smartphones than the wired USB-C charger.
Stern’s testing reveals that the 20W USB-C charger took 28 minutes, while the MagSafe wireless charger took 1 hour to charge the iPhone 12. Although the MagSafe charger charged the iPhone faster than a third-party wireless charger by Anker, it took 32 minutes longer than the wired charger to power-up the smartphone.
This information will help the users to decide if they want to buy the wireless charger or not because the company is shipping the new iPhones with the USB-C to Lightning cable. Having said that, users will have to buy an adaptor if they don’t have one.
Stern corroborated the claim of another tech analyst and YouTuber, Marques Brownlee who said that the magnetic strength of the MagSafe accessories, charger and wallet is not firm. Both accessories easily slip off the iPhones’ back with little push resistance.
Apple has been trying to master wireless charging for years. Since the company is all about giving the ‘best’ and not the ‘first’, its native wireless charger has taken longer than third-party manufacturers to hit the market. Announced at the October 13 event, Apple is likely to launch a MagSafe Duo charger to support iPhone and Apple Watch charging by the end of this year.
2 comments
Comments are closed.